The Brookhaven leader., 1887-05-26

. from your we'll filed tables with the idea
that pious talk is going TO stop the gnaw-
ing OF an empty stomach, or TO warm
stockingless feet Take bread, take
raiment, take medicine as well as take
prayer. There Is a great deal OF common
sense in what tho poor woman said to the
city missionary, when he was telling her
how she ought 10 love God and serve him.
oh" she said, elf you were as poor
and cold as 1 am, and as hungry, you
could think Of nothing else"
A great deal OF what Is called Christian
work goes for nothing, for the simple rea-
son IL isInot practical, as after the battle OF
Antietam man got :out OF an ambulance
with bag of tracts, and he went dis
tributing tho tracts, and George Stuart,
one of the best Chistian men in this Cout'
try, said TO him:
what are you distributing tracts for
nowl There are 5000 men bleeding to
death. Bind up their wounds, and then
distribute the tracts"
We want more common sense in Chris
tian work, taking the bread OF this life IN
one hand and the bread of the next life in
the other hand. No such inapt work as
that done by the Christian man who, dur,
ing the last war, went into a hospital
with tracts, and coming to the bed Of
| man whose legs had been amputst41.
gave him a tract on the sin of danclrg' 1
! rejoice before God that never are svIRpa'
| thctic words uttered, never n PRAYER Of
fered, never d Christian almsgiving in.
dulged in but it is blessed.
There is place in Switzerland, have
been told, where the utterance of one
! word will bring back score of echoes;
and have to tell you this morning that a
| sympathetic word, kind word, gen-
erous word, a helpful word, uttered in the
dark places of the town, will bring back
! 10000 echoes from the thrones of Heaven.
| could give you the history in mi.ute
! OF one of the best friends ever had. Out
/ side of nv own family never had bet.
ter friend, He welcomed me to my home
ut the West. He was of splendid personal
| appearance, and he had an ardor of soul
and a warmth of affection that made me
! love him like brother. l saw men COM
| ing out of the saloons and gambling hells,
and they surrounded my friend and they
| took him at the weak point, his social
nature, and / saw him going down, and l
had fair talk with him-fOr l never
yet saw man you could not talk
with on the subject of his habits,
if you talked with him in the right
way. l said to him: why don't yoC
give up your bad habits and become .
Christianl' l remember now just how he
looked, leaning over his counter, az he
replicdi II wish / could. Oh, sir, l should
like to be a Christian, but l have gone so
far astray l can't get back
SO the time went on. After awhile the
sickness came l was summoned To his
sick bed. l fastened. 1t took me but 9
very few moments to get there. l was
surprised as | went in. | saw him in hic
ordinary dress, fully dressed lying on top
of the bed. gave hun my hand, ami he
seized it convulsively and said:
'Oh, how glad am to see you! Sit down
there" l sat down and he said: M.
Talmage, Just where you sit now nv
mother sat last night. She has been dead
twenty years. Now, don't want you to
think am out of my mind, or that am
superstitious; but, sir, she sat there last
night just as certainly as you sit
there nOw-the same cap and apron and
spcctacles. 1t was my old mother-she
sat there" Then he turned to his wife
and said: 81 wish you would take these
strings off the bed; somebody is wrapping
strings around me all the time. l wish
you would stop that annoyance" She
said: There is nothing here.o Then
saw it was delirium.
He said: Just where you sit now my
mother sat, and she said: Boswell, ]
wish you would do better-I wish you
would do better said: Mother, / wish
! could do better; l try to do better, but J
can't. Mother, you used to help me; why
can't you help me nowP And, sir, l got
out of bed, for it was reality, and went
to her, and threw my arms around her
neck, and said: Mother l will do better
but you must help; can't do this alone.'"
kneit down and prayed. That night
his soul went to the Lord that made it.
Arrangements were made for the obse
Ques. The question was raised whether
they should bring him to the church.
Some body said: "You can not bring sue!
dissolute man as that into the church,
Isad: "You will bring him in church
he stood by me when he was alive, and
will stand by him when he is dead. Bring
him." AS stood in the pulpit and saw
them carry ing the body up the aisle, l fell
as if l could weep tears Of blood.
On one side of the pulpit sat his lite
child Of eight years, a sweet, beautiful
little girl that have seen him hug con
vulsively in his better moments. He pu;
on her al jewels, all diamonds, and save
her all pictures and toys, and then nv
would go away as if houlded by an evi
spirit, to his cups and the house of shame
| "A fool to the CORE ct on of the stocks
! She looked up wonderingly. She knew
not what 1t all meant. She was not ole
enough to understand the sorrow of Ill
| orphan child.
| On the other side of the pulpit sat tbs
men who had ruined him; they were this
men who had poured the WormWool into
the orphans cup; they were the men who
had bound him hand and foot. | knew
them. How did they seem to feel? Did
they weep? No. Did they say: what
pity that - generous man should be de.
stroyed?" No. Did they sigh ropeRtingly
over what they had dones No; they sat
there, looking as yultures look at the car.
cass of a lamb whose heart they had
ripped out SO they sat and looked
at the coffin lid, and l told then
the judgment of God upon those who had
destroyed their fellows. Did they
reform! | was told they were in the
places of iniquitv that night after my
friend was laid in lakewood Cemetery, anC
they blasphemed, and they drank. Oh
how merciless men are, especially after
they have destroyed YOU. Do not look tC
men for help. Look to God.
But'there is man who will not reform
He says: Il won't reform" Well, then,
how many acts are there in a tragedyi J
| believe Ave.
Act the first of the tragedy: A young
man starting off from home. Parents and
| sisters weeping to have him go. Wagon
rising over the hill. Farewell kiss flung
back. Ring the bell and let the curtain
fail.
Act the second: The marriage altar
| Eull organ Rrioht liphts T,On1 white